On becoming a fitness fanatic

I train 4-5 times a week on average. My fitness regime ranges between HIIT (High intensity interval training) workouts, running, ‘standard’ gym sessions, and agility-based workouts. As well as some lesser activities in-between.

How did I get here? I ask myself this everyday day…

3 years ago, my definition of exercise was kicking a ball in the backyard with my sons. A ‘hectic’ workout was running 5km. I felt sorry for those people working out 4-5 times a week. How did they have any lives outside exercise – oh, wait…

So, how did I go from being a couch potato to jumping around 5 days a week?

Habits.

I think it’s extremely hard and highly unsustainable to go from nothing to everything overnight. It would take a massive amount of motivation to maintain that new level – motivation which most people like you and I simply don’t have right from the start.

We have to ease into it. Be coaxed into it a little more. Smooth ourselves that we’re doing ok, then push a little more.

And so, I started. A simple set of 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 20 crunches every 2-3 days and I signed up for parkrun every Saturday. This was my fitness limit at the time. I already thought I was crazy.

I won’t bore you with the details of my progression over the years, but let’s just say I’ve pushed myself further than I ever thought, and I still have so far to go.

This journey has purposefully been slow. Each time I’ve increased my levels it’s been a natural progression.

Why? Because then it becomes a natural habit or behaviour and I’ll be more likely to stick with it.

I think one of the main reasons I’ve continually progressed is because I haven’t put pressure on myself to work out. It’s totally ok if I miss a day or 2, or if I swap this workout with that one.

It’s more about fun and enjoying the “I’m being healthy” buzz afterward.

Something like this might work for you. It might not. All I can say is, for me, going all in when starting a new habit has never really worked.